Automatically rotatable barbecue



May 2, 1950 H. LEON AUTOMATICALLY ROTATABLEBARBECUE Filed May :5, 1947 HENRY LEON INVENTOH A TTORNEY Patented May 2, 1950 UNITED STATES OFFICE AUTOMATICALLY ROTATABLE BARBECUE Henry Leon, Brooklyn, N. Y,

Application May 3, 1947, Serial. No. 745,806 2 Claims. (Cl..99.-421) This invention relates to a novel BDDa aI' S 01 roasting meats, fowls, etc, and for automatically rotating the meat or fowl during the process of roasting.

An object of this invention is to provide: a device adapted to. be. placed on a stove, for roasting meat, the meat being turnedwautomatically during the roasting operation, and the invention comprises an improved spit which carries the meat and novel: means for mounting the spit.

Another object of this invention is. to provide a roasting apparatus comprising. means for vertically adiusting the spit in st.ep..-by.-stepselected positions with respect. to the source of heat during the process of roasting and without removing the. spit. from a supporting frame or the sourceof heat.

Another object of this invention. isto. provide a portable coal-type, out-of-idoors roasting apparatus designed for use. by tourists, campers,

and the like, for roasting meat, fowls, at picnics, etc.

Another object of this. invention. to provide an automatically rotatable broiler or barbecue of the character described, comprisin a frame 1, having end Walls and a. spitextending longitudinally of the frame and supported in. the end walls and having a rectangular end. portion. a casing carried-by one of the. end walls and having a coil leaf spring operatively mounted, therein anduconnected to. a drive. shaft for driving the shaft, the drive shaft being operativelv in. .e ngagement with the rectangular end portion of the spitfor. rotating the spit.

With the. above and other objects in view,,the invention will be hereinafter more particularly described, and the combination and arrangement of partswill beshown in the accompanyin drawings and pointed out in the claims which form part of this specification.

e ce wi n w he had 9 t e draw s. wherein like numerals of referencedesignate corresponding. parts throughout the several views, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the broiler.

Figure 215 a side elevation of the broiler, partly in cross-section.

Figure 3 is an end view of the broiler, showing the spit.

Figure 4 is an end view of the broiler, showing spring actuating mechanism.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a raising and lowering mechanism for the spit and the spring actuating mechanism.

Figure 6 is a view of a fragmentary portion of a slidabl spit s p ort g frame. showin o enin means which permits raising or dropping the spit supporting. frames. l I th ustrates em d m o t e nv tion, the. numeral lllindicates a portable broiler b becu fo u e to amers nd h a mainframe ii having end walls lzwhich are s cur d iYQbeQ Qsi l- T end r5 hav hor on all po i ne ee adapted to stQeeretebe sineis ewm- Each end wall l;;2 has a centrally positioned o ated emieht ei l? Q f of each slot 15. is iorrned with avertical row of ratchetteeth l 5. Each tooth has resting face or bottom wall H which is angularly directed below a horizontal plane. Each tooth also comprises an upwardly directed1 face l3 which is. in right angular relation with the resting face n. The teeth I6 start at the lower end of the slot I5, and terminate slightly below the upper end of the slot.

Vertically slidabl-y mounted on the end walls l2 of the main frame H are spit supporting frames 19 having inturnedupright sides 2|] which are adapted to slidably engage the uprightend faces 2| of the end walls 12;

a s po t n game 9 is bent in a crosswi dire t n cen a y thereo to o e a o e n 2-2, The. u r ht e d fin t opening 22 carries a bracket 25 whichis secured t ih well as b r ve s 2 Th brabket' @Q iin es u ri ht p r i 21: h n Openings 2 through which the rivets gdpass. The bracket 25 also comprises an angularly directed extension 29:. Aleaf spring; 30 is secured to theme tension 29' by a rivet. 3-,! and by bending one end portion 32 over the ,egctension; 9.

h ee end o t e series 3" a a thumbeneae e ortion 3: Pr e ile si w th efrom. The bracket 25 also downwardly directed portion 3 4 extending below the lower l v l: o h -thum -en es e or n 3% a -se ing. as a stop for engagement with the lower face of the slot [5.

t: is t h noted th t the o n s I 5 in th en a s e 1 28.ne t upper n sh permits the user to readily remove or replace a spit 36 together with the fowl or meat, 1r asted thereonfrom theroti ser-iew thqa cha eingr position of the frames H] from their adjusted roasting position.

I have also provided opening means 40 in each spit supporting frame 19 to permit removal of the spit 36 and a fowl 4| from the roasting device I!) while the frames l9 are held on the walls I2 in set roasting position. The frames [9 are held against disengagement from the walls l2 by pins 42 in the upper ends of the walls.

It is to be noted that an upper extension or overhanging arm 43 in each frame l9 serves as grip means against which the spit 36 is held when it is desired to raise the frames l9 during adjustment of the spit and fowl from the feet M or from the source of heat.

The spit 35 includes a collar 45 slidably fitting on the spit and held in position by a screw 46. The collar 45 carries prongs 41 extending in a direction axially of the spit. One end 48 of the.

spit 36 is pointed so that this end can be forced through the article to be roasted.

A casing 50 of annular form is rotatably supported from a spit supporting frame i9 by a bracket which is suitably fixed to the frame. The casing has a hub 52 at one side which is rotatably mounted in the bracket 5|. The central portion of the hub 52 has an opening of square cross-section which is designed for engagement with an end portion 53 of the spit 35 which is also of square cross-section at one end.

A coiled leaf spring 55 is mounted in the easing 50 and has its inner end suitably connected to a shaft 56. The outer end of the spring 55 is connected to the peripheral portion of the easing by a rivet 51. The inner end of the shaft 55 is rotatably mounted in the hub 52. The outer portion of the shaft is rotatably mounted in a side plate 58 which is fixed to the casing 55.

A handwheel 59 is fixed to the outer end of the shaft 56 and is of a size to be grasped in the hand of the user for winding up the spring 55.

A brake shoe 50 is supported by a screw 6| threaded in an upper extension 62 of the bracket 5|. The brake shoe is in frictional contact with the outer periphery of the casing and may be adjusted by the screw 5| to cause a regulated pressure against the casing 52 to pre-determine the rate of speed at which the wound spring 55 will rotate the spit 35 and the fowl M. It is to be noted that the entire length of the spit, with the exception of the portion 53, has a circular cross-section to facilitate rotation.

A lock pin 65 passes through the handwheel 59 and has a reduced end designed to enter into "through the intermediary of suitable mechanism causes rotation of the spit 36.

In accordance with the patent statutes I have described and illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention, but it will be understood that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim: 1. In an automatically rotatable broiler or barbecue, comprising a main supporting frame and a spit and means to vertically adjust said spit in any selected position with respect to the source of heat and without removing the spit from the source of heat, said main supporting frame having end walls formed with vertical slots and vertically spaced ratchet teeth and horizontally positioned grill engaging feet, slidable frames mounted on said end walls, a spit extending through said vertical slots and longitudinally of said main supporting frame and being rotatably supported in said slidable frames, said slidable frames having openings inwardly of said main frame and having resilient pawls engageable with said ratchet teeth, said slidable frames bein vertically adjustable for engagement with selected ratchet teeth to support said spit horizontally at predetermined heights from said feet, said spit having a rectangular end portion, a casing carried by one of said slidable frames, a coiled spring operatively mounted in said casing and connected to a drive shaft for driving said shaft, said drive shaft having means engageable with said spit for rotating said spit during vertical adjustments of said spit and without removing the spit from said supporting frame or from the source of heat.

2. In an automatically rotatable broiler or barbecue, comprising a main supportin frame and a spit and means to vertically adjust said spit in any selected position with respect to the source of heat and without removing the spit from the source of heat, said main supporting frame having end walls formed with vertical slots and vertically spaced ratchet teeth and horizontally positioned grill engaging feet, slidable frames mounted on said end walls, a spit extending through said vertical slots and longitudinally of said main supporting frame and being rotatably supported in said slidable frames, said slidable frames having openings inwardly of said main frame and having resilient pawls engageable with said ratchet teeth, said slidable frames being vertically adjustable for engagement with selected ratchet teeth to support said spit horizontally at predetermined heights from said feet, said spit having a rectangular end portion, a casing carried by REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,051,502 Klein Jan. 28, 1913 2,388,831 Cramer Nov. 13, 1945 

